Tomorrow night we are visited by the lovely Amanda Baisinger. From her living room debut at age 11 to her staple monthlies at Rockwood Music Hall, The Cutting Room, and our own Cafe, Ms. Baisinger has been cultivating a warm hybrid of Jazz and Pop woven through the patchwork poetry of her own experience. She hails from Sunnyvale, CA, travels to us by way of Billie Holiday and Joni Mitchell, and lands smack in the City this Thursday night. Featuring Mike Moreno on guitar, Pete Rende on piano, Peter Slavov on bass and Jordan Perlson on the drums. Doors at 8:30pm, Cover of just $10.

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Just a few blocks south, SoHo is teeming with frenzied shoppers locked in battle for merchandise. The crowds swell for one week more, until the Christmas Climax. But what comes after? What will you do when the hazy glow of errant tinsel and shimmering giftwrap fades away? Why, you’ll eat of course. Submitted for your consideration: Cornelia Street Cafe’s Christmas Dinner for 2009.

Christmas Dinner (which in fact begins at 2pm) is one of our most renowned culinary touchstones, on par with our madhouse Thanksgiving bonanza (432 served this year) and our peerless New Year’s Eve experience. Chef Dan, master of sea, land, and everything in between, will be in constant motion as he prepares such delicacies as our Down-East Smoked Salmon, Black Angus Steak au Poivre, and Pumpkin Creme Brulee. Delicious prix-fixe food, plus our masterfully curated wine list and the warm ambiance of our brick-walled Village hideaway. Call it one more gift, too big for under the tree. Best to reserve soon, lest the mad crowds beat you to it.

Watch this space for more from Chef Dan about his Christmas masterpiece…